Non-refillable bottle.



A. W. BUTTERFIELD, E. RAAFLAUB, SR- & J. A. PATHB. NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

APPLIOATION nun MAY'15, 1912.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED W. BUTTERFIELD, ERNEST RAAFLAUB, 83., AND JAMES A. PA'IHE, OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

NON-REFILLABTLE BOTTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

Application filed May 15, 1912. Serial No. 897,373.

' A. PATI-In, citizens of the United States, and

residents of Bloomfield, in the county of- Essex and Stateof New-Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Non-Refillable Bottle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to bottles,- ugs or similar containers for liquids of a superior grade, and has particular reference to a stopper for such a container, here nafter referred to, for convenience of expression, as a bottle, whereb the bottle cannot be refilled after the sea is once broken.

The object ofour invention is to provide a closure or valve for a bottle having breakable means to seal it shut so as to prevent leakage of the, liquid past the valve while the bottle is carried or stored in an inclined or inverted position, whereby that portion of the liquid which ordinarily fills the neck of the bottle is kept therefrom with a corresponding saving of the liquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide aguard for the bottle neck on the outside of the valve mechanism which will be of a nature to prevent surreptitious tampering; with the valve from the outside.

A still further object of the invention is to improve the construction of the valve and the means for keeping it seated when the liquid is .not being poured from the bottle.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawin s accompanying this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Fi ure 1 is a vertical section of a conventiona type of bottle neck and a preferred form of our invention secured therein; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the valve in plan; Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 in the pouring position; Fig. l is a sectional detail of one of the weights; F ig. 5 is a vertical section showing a modified form of valve operating means; and Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the valve. shown inFi.5.

Ret erring particularly to the drawings,

we show at 10 a fragment of a bottle having a neck 11.

At 12 is shown an annulus secured in any convenient manner adjacent the base of the neck and provided with a flange or seat 13 on its upper surface. The valve comprises a disk 14 hinged at 15 to the annulus and having a rim 14 adapted to enter the valve seat 13 to make the connection between the valve and its seat more secure. On the outside of the valve, )referably opposite the hinge 15, is formed an eye 16 to which is connected a 'strong but frangible string or thread 17 which extends thence downwardly through an eve 18 connected 'to the annulus, and to the thread 17 is secured a strongerline 19 which extends up wardly beyond the mouth of the bottle. After the bottle has been filled in the regular way the valve mechanism with the valve in its sealed position is inserted and secured permanently in place and the line 19 will be secured wit-lithe outer end projecting from the bottle, as by means of the stopper 20 of any suitable form. \Vhen the bottle is to be emptied and the stopper 20 has been drawn, a pull upon the linelt) will cause a breakage of the thread 17, thereby unsealing the valve 14. By providing the lighter portion of the flexible connection it is assured that the breakage will take place adjacent the valve.

As one means for seatin" the valve and holding it closed, we provic e a plurality of independent slidable weights 21 on the outside of the valve and adapted to be guided for slidable movement by any suitable means within the neck of the bottle toward or from the valve. o show and refer to employ at least three of such sli able weights and arrange the uiding means at an inclination to the axis of the neck, whereby at least one of said weights will slide along its guiding means into closing or locking cooperation with the valve when the bottle is tilted toward or to its upright position. The guiding means illustrated for the slidable weights comprises a plurality of fingers 22 suitably connected at their lower ends within the bottle neck, as for example, upon the annulus 12 and extending upwardly therefrom, each with its upper end disposed substantially in vertical alinement with the bottom of the next finger. The weights are the bore 21 is wider than the thickness of the finger 22 whereby in case it should be attempted to refill the bottle by agitating it within a body of liquid, the agitation will cause the weights to fly outwardly in lines parallel to the axis of the neck, the wider portion of the bore permitting such movement, and the lugs 24 will, therefore, engage theshoulders 23 and prevent displacement of the weights far enough from the valve to permit such refilling. Vhen, however, the bottle is tilted for pouring therefrom, the weights will all be guided along the diagonal fingers in such a manner as to slide past the shoulders 23 without obstruction.

At 25 we provide a guard in the form of a diaphragm secured permanently in the bottle neck and including a hollow body portion 26, the upper and lower ends of which are solid but provided with a Series of holes 26 adjacent such ends on oppositeing permanently to the upper surface of the valve a'layer of cork 29, the buoyancy of \vliicl1 "willtend to swing the valve on its hinge 15 to the closed position and so maintain'it.

As an alternative means for operating the valve and keeping it closed when the bottle is tilted to or toward its upright position,

. we show in Figs. 5 and 6 a weight 30 carried upon a curved arm 31 having swivel connection at 32 with the under or inner face of the valve.- The arm or stem 31 is guided within a cross arm or spider 33 which tends to keep the weight in the position indicated in Fig. 5, and, as a fulcrum, insures that the weight, when the bottle is tilted toward its upright position, will draw the valve closed, the action upon the valve being due to the combined leverage of the stem upon the spider 33 and the pull of'the weight on the stem through said spider, Said spider being connected to the annulus 12 provides a means whereby the weight means for the valve has slidable movement toward or from the annulus. The weight 30 connected as indicated will be free to swing around in any position of the bottle when tilted, whereby the weight will be in position to perform its closing; function as just de scribed.

The several parts of the improvement may be made of any suitable materials of a san-.

itary and durable nature, and they may be made of various sizes or relative proportions without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is to be noted, furthermore, that the valve mechanism may be set in place at any time or by any means well understood in the bottle art.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

1. In a bottle having a neck, the combination of an annulus secured in said neck, a valve hingetibto said annulus and adapted to close the neck, a thread extending through the adj acent parts of the valve and annulus opposite the hinge and sealing the valve closed, and a line of greater strength than the thread connected tothe thread and extending thence beyond the mouth of the bottle, substantially as set forth.

2."- In a non-refillable bottle having aneck, the combination of a valve secured within the neck and adapted to close the same, and means to normally hold the valve closed, said means includinga plurality of weights and a plurality of guiding fingers on which the weights are adapted to slide, each of said fingers at its outer end being substantially in vertical a-linement with the lower end of the next finger.

3. In a non-refillable bottle having a neck, a valve within the neck and adapted to open or close the same, a plurality of Weights on the out-side of ,the valve adapted to hold it closed, diagonally arranged guiding means within the neck for said weights, and a series of shoulders within the bottle neck adapted under certain conditions tobe en- 

